Tim Cutajar

I am a PhD candidate at the Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Sydney, with the Australian Museum and the University of Copenhagen.

I am interested in technologies that inform how biodiversity is distributed for data-driven conservation. I investigate environmental DNA methods for increasing vertebrate species detectability, and use varied techniques including water and air sampling, and parasitic invertebrate collection for detection of vertebrates via blood meals. Citizen science and collections-based data also inform my research on species’ conservation statuses and needs.

Professional Memberships:

• Program Officer, IUCN Amphibian Red List Authority, since 2015.
• National Geographic Explorer since 2023
• Section Editor, Reptiles and Amphibians, since 2023
  

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science (Biology) (Hons. Class 1), UNSW Sydney, Australia (2019).
• Bachelor of Biodiversity & Conservation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia (2014).

2023

• Luedtke, J., Chanson, J., Neam, K., Hobin, L., Maciel, A.O., Catenazzi, A., Borzée, A., Hamidy, A., Aowphol, A., Jean, A., Sosa-Bartuano, A., Fong G. A., de Silva, A., Fouquet, A., Angulo, A., Kidov, A.A., Muñoz Saravia, A., Diesmos, A.C., Tominaga, A., Shrestha, B., Gratwicke, B., Tjaturadi, B., Martínez Rivera, C.C., Vásquez Almazán, C.R., Señaris, C., Chandramouli S.R., Strüssmann, C., Fabiola, C., Fernández, C., Azat, C., Hoskin, C.J., Hilton-Taylor, C., Whyte,D.L., Gower, D.J., Olson, D.H., Cisneros-Heredia, D.F., José Santana, D., Nagombi, E., Najafi-Majd, E., Quah, E.S.H., Bolaños, F., Xie, F., Brusquetti, F., Álvarez, F.S., Andreone, F., Glaw, F., Enrique Castañeda, F., Kraus, F., Parra-Olea, G., Chaves, G., Medina-Rangel, G.F., González-Durán, G., Mauricio Ortega-Andrade, H., Machado, I.F., Das, I., Dias, I.R., Nicolas Urbina-Cardona, J., CrnobrnjaIsailović, J., Yang, J.H., Jianping, J., Tshelthrim Wangyal, J., Rowley, J.J.L., Measey, J., Vasudevan, K., Onn Chan, Vasudeva Gururaja, K., Ovaska, K., Warr, L.C., Canseco-Márquez, L., Felipe Toledo, L., Díaz, L.M., Khan, M.H., Meegaskumbura, M., Acevedo, M.E., Felgueiras Napoli, M., Ponce, M.A., Vaira, M., Lampo, M., Yánez-Muñoz, M. H., Scherz, M.D., Rödel, M.O., Matsui, M., Fildor, M., Kusrini, M.D., Ahmed, M.F., Rais, M., Kouamé, N.G., García, N., Gonwouo, N.L., Burrowes, P.A., Imbun, P.Y., Wagner, Kok, P.J.R., Joglar, R.L., Auguste, R.J., Albuquerque Brandão, R., Ibáñez, R., von May, R., Hedges, S,B., Biju, S.D., Ganesh, S.R., Wren, S., Das, S., Flechas, S.V., Ashpole, S.L., Robleto-Hernández, S.J., Loader, S.P., Incháustegui, S.J., Garg, S., Phimmachak, S., Richards, S.J., Slimani, T., Osborne-Naikatini, T., Abreu-Jardim, T.P.F., Condez, T.H., De Carvalho, T.R., Cutajar, T.P., Pierson, T.W., Nguyen, T.Q., Kaya, U., Yuan, Z., Long, B., Langhammer, P., Stuart, S.N. (2023). Ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats. Nature. full text
• Cutajar, T. P., & Pulsford, S. A. (2023) Incidental invertebrate-derived DNA detection of invasive and threatened species in temperate dry Southeast Australian forest. Austral Ecology 00, 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13307

2022

• Cutajar, T., & Rowley, J. J. L. (2022). The utility of acoustic citizen science data in understanding geographic distributions of morphologically conserved species: frogs in the Litoria phyllochroa species group. Journal of Herpetology. 56 (3): 318–323.
• Mahony, S. M., Cutajar, T., Rowley, J. J. L. (2022). A new species of Delma Gray 1831 (Squamata: Pygopodidae) from the Hunter Valley and Liverpool Plains of New South Wales. Zootaxa 5162 (5): 541–556. abstract
• Cutajar, T.P., Portway, C.D., Gillard, G.L. and Rowley, J.J.L. (2022). Australian Frog Atlas: species’ distribution maps informed by the FrogID dataset. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum, Online 36: 1–48. full text

2021

• Tapley, B., Nguyen, L.T., Nguyen, C.T., Hoang, G.T. & Cutajar, T.P. (2021) Oviposition sites of the Hoang Lien Horned Frog, Megophrys hoanglienensis (Tapley et al., 2018). Herpetology Notes. 14: 937-939. full text.
• Tapley, B., Cutajar, T., Nguyen. L.T., Portway, C., Mahony, S., Nguyen, C.T., Harding, L., Luong, H.V., & Rowley, J.J.L. (2021). A new potentially Endangered species of Megophrys from Mount Ky Quan San, northwest Vietnam. Journal of Natural History. 54: 2543-2575. full text.

2020

• Alabai, M., Esau, T., Kekeubata, E., Esau, D., Waneagea, J., Lobotalau, L., Alick, J., Silas, J., Solome, L., Waneagea, J., Mousisi, K., Cutajar, T.P., Portway, C.D., MacLaren, D.J., & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020). Apparent absence of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in frogs in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. Pacific Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1071/PC20047
• Nguyen, L. T., Tapley, B., Cutajar, T., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Harding, L., Luong, H.V. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020). A description of the tadpole of the Critically Endangered Botsford’s leaf-litter frog (Leptobrachella botsfordi) with comments on the distribution and conservation status of the species. Zootaxa. 4860: 293–300. abstract.
• Tapley, B., Nguyen, L.T., Cutajar, T., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Van Luong, H., and Rowley, J.J.L. (2020). The tadpoles of five Megophrys Horned frogs (Amphibia: Megophryidae) from the Hoang Lien Range, Vietnam. Zootaxa, 4845 (1): 35–52. abstract
• Tapley, B., Nguyen, L.T., Portway, C., Cutajar, T., Nguyen, C.T., Van Luong, H., Kane, D., Harding, L. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) A point endemic no more; a range extension for Oreolalax sterlingae (Nguyen et al., 2013) in Bat Xat District, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Herpetology Notes. 13, 497-500.full text
• Portway, C.D., Cutajar, T.P., King, A. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) First evidence of the amphibian chytrid fungus likely driving dramatic frog community changes on the New England Tablelands of Eastern Australia. Herpetological Review. 51 (2), 247-251.
• Portway, C.D., Cutajar, T.P. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) Survey for amphibian chytrid fungus infection in the enigmatic Green-thighed Frog (Litoria brevipalmata). Herpetological Review. 51 (2), 252-253.
• Cutajar, T.P. and Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) Surveying frogs from the bellies of their parasites: invertebrate-derived DNA as a novel survey method for frogs. Global Ecology & Conservation. e00978.
• Cutajar, T.P., Rowley, J.J.L., Nguyen, L.T., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Harding, L., Luong, H.V. and Tapley, B. (2020) The advertisement call of Megophrys jingdongensis Fei and Ye, 1983 and a new record from Lai Chau Province, Northeast Vietnam. Herpetology Notes. 13: 139-143.

2019

• Nguyen, L.T., Tapley, B., Cutajar, T.P., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Harding, L., Van Luong, H. and Rowley, J.J.L. (2019) The first records of Limnonectes nguyenorum Mcleod, Kurlbaum & Hoang (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae) from lao Cai Province, northwest Vietnam. Proceedings of the 4th National Scientific Conference on Amphibians and Reptiles in Vietnam.
• Rowley, J.J., Callaghan, C.T., Cutajar, T.P., Portway, C., Potter, K., Mahony, S., Trembath, D.F., Flemons, P. & Woods, A. (2019) FrogID: Citizen Scientists provide validated biodiversity data on frogs of Australia. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 14 (1): 155-170.

2018

• Rowley, J.J.L. & Cutajar, T.P. (2018) Rediscovery of the Booroolong Frog Litoria booroolongensis on the Australian New England Tablelands after more than 40 years.Herpetological Review. 49: 620-621.
• Tapley, B., Cutajar, T.P., Nguyen, L.T., Nguyen, C.T., Harding, L., Portway, C., Van Luong, H. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2018) A new locality and elevation extension for Megophrys rubrimera (Tapley et al., 2017) in Bat Xat Nature Reserve, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Herpetology Notes. 11: 865-868.
• Tapley, B., Cutajar, T.P., Mahony, S., Nguyen, C.T., Dau, V.Q., Luong, A.M., Le, D.T., Nguyen, T.T., Nguyen, T.Q., Portway, C. & Luong, H.V. (2018) Two new and potentially highly threatened Megophrys Horned frogs (Amphibia: Megophryidae) from Indochina’s highest mountains. Zootaxa. 4508 (3): 301-333.

2017

• Tapley, B., Rowley, J.J.L., Cutajar, T.P., Mahony, S., Nguyen, C.T., Vinh, D.Q., Nguyen, T.T. & Luong, V.H. (2017) The Vietnamese population of Megophrys kuatunensis(Amphibia: Megophryidae) represents a new species of Asian horned frog from Vietnam and southern China. Zootaxa. 4344 (3): 465-492.
• Rowley, J.J.L., Dau, V.Q., Hoang, H.D., Le, D.T.T., Cutajar, T.P. & Nguyen, T.T. (2017) A new species of Leptolalax (Anura: Megophryidae) from northern Vietnam. Zootaxa. 4243 (3): 544-564.

2016

• Rowley, J.J.L., Shepherd, C.R., Stuart, B.L., Nguyen, T.Q., Hoang, H.D., Cutajar, T.P., Wogan, G.O.U. & Phimmachak, S. (2016) Estimating the global trade in Southeast Asian Newts. Biological Conservation. 199: 96-100.